


As Stars in the Sky

by crimmus



Category: Avatar (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Diverging as we go on, First bit written from Tsu'tey's pov, First time writing fanfic in awhile lol, If anyone else enjoys it that's bonus points, In Which Jake Sully Does Not Mate With Neytiri Because I Personally Think It's Dumb, M/M, May change as we go on?, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Starting fairly close-to-canon, Written for the entertainment of ESSENTIALLY myself and my friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2020-09-01 13:13:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20258653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimmus/pseuds/crimmus
Summary: At the start of it all, Tsu'tey watched the alien among them only to ensure his clan's safety. But the more he sees, the more he wonders whether this creature could truly become one of them.





	1. Iknimaya

**Author's Note:**

> I don't expect many / anyone to really read this, but if you DO please note that it is essentially exactly what I want it to be. It's written for myself and a friend; if you dislike the characterizations / headcanons, be decent about it please! 
> 
> Summary is vague on purpose bc * ~ surprises ~ *
> 
> Any relevant CWs WILL be tagged; surprises are not at worth making anyone uncomfortable.
> 
> Alternative Title for the chapter: In Which Tsu'tey Is Confusion And Angr

When Tsu’tey te Rongloa Ateyitan first laid eyes upon the alien called “Jakesully”, he had been sure that Neytiri had somehow misinterpreted Eywa’s will. How else could this have come to be? Eywa would not ask that a demon like Jakesully be spared. She knew as well as the Na’vi that Sky People were treacherous at best, and a poison to the people at worst. He claimed to be a warrior, but that only cemented Tsu’tey’s mistrust; what purpose did a warrior have among the Omiticaya? He would betray them.

At Tsahik Mo’at’s will, Tsu’tey had stilled his bow. He did not trust this creature, but he would not stray from the Tsahik’s command. Neither would he allow the threat to wander unchecked; Neytiri was skilled, but she believed him to be of Eywa. She would be blinded by this. He would not allow any oversights when it came to this creature- he would never again allow their people to be harmed by them when mere diligence could prevent it. 

He watched Jakesully, finding reasons to intrude upon his lessons. The demon was clumsy; he seemed to have difficulty managing anything. _Eywa’s eyes, the alien can’t ride a pa’li without making a mess of himself!_  
But the more Tsu’tey watched Jakesully, the more intrigued he grew. The sky person was extraordinarily ungifted, but tenacious beyond Tsu’tey’s expectations. Most of his kind seemed detached- with the People, but only while it was convenient. Jakesully...seemed to revel in his time with the People. He had no skill, but at no point did he throw up his hands- at no time did Tsu’tey find himself doubting Jakesully’s resolve.  
As much as he wanted only to hate the man called Jakesully, he found a begrudging respect budding within him for the alien.

As time passed, Jakesully seemed to become more and more a part of the Omiticaya. He heard the tales at night- Jakesully had made his first clean kill, he was nearing readiness for his ascent of iknimaya. Would an ikran choose him at all? Or would his alien scent warn them off? Tsu’tey couldn’t help but smile as he imagined the tanacious man making an attempt to chase one down- to try and force a pairing. The idiot would surely die.

*******

Tsu’tey and Neytiri began their ascent of the mountains. Jakesully moved with an odd sort of grace, stepping in front of Neytiri as she gestured for him to begin the climb. Tsu’tey motioned for his own fledgling hunters, and watched with no small amount of pride as they scaled the sky mountains. 

Tsu’tey followed behind his wards, but his eyes sought out Jakesully. He squinted as the man stumbled, nearly missing a vine. His heart gave a strange twist, but he quashed it with bitter thoughts.  
_Fall, sky-demon. Eywa did not choose you, she would not favor an alien like you over her own People._  
As Jakesully slipped further, Tsu’tey caught himself from lunging forward to help the shorter na’vi-  
_He_ isn’t _na’vi._  
Tsu’tey growled softly at his own fumble, eyes following Jakesully as he righted himself and continued upwards.

_If he succeeds,_ Tsu’tey wondered to himself as they neared the top. _Will he truly be welcomed into our clan? _  
With any other person it wouldn’t have been a question at all. But Jakesully wasn’t a person, he was a vessel; he was not born in that body he wore, and he did not really live in it. Could a person like that be welcomed into their clan?  
_If any sky person is able, it’s him._  
Tsu’tey surprised himself with the thought. He blinked, and nearly stumbled as he tried to comprehend what he’d thought. Then he let out an annoyed huff and dismissed it as empty kindness.  
He was finding it increasingly hard to parse his feelings around the shorter, five-fingered alien.  
A part of him mistrusted the man and wished for nothing more than his demise, certain that Jakesully could bring nothing but darkness to their People.  
But another part- a slowly growing part of him- wished to praise man for his improvement. Wished to hunt with him, to _see_ and be _seen_ by him. Tsu’tey quieted these thoughts, instead focusing on his own hunters, pride welling within him as they moved confidently towards their place in the clan.

*******

They crested the peaks, the ikran’s nesting place coming into view. The sky and ground alike was a flutter with iridescence and danger; making a bond with an ikran was dangerous, were you not prepared. And even then, there were risks.  
“Jakesully will go first.”  
He smirked, challenging the self-proclaimed warrior to prove his worth; to prove he knew enough on his own to manage this challenge without watching the others first-  
Neytiri moved out first, leading Jakesully. Tsu’tey’s smirk was replaced with a scowl, _will she hand-guide him through everything?_  
She whispered words to him, too fast in the alien tongue for Tsu’tey to hear. He curled his lip, frustration seeping into his poise. His two novice hunters shifted nervously, eyeing the ikran with no small amount of trepidation. He spoke softly to them in their people’s tongue as Jakesully approached the nesting ikran. “You have both learned well, you have nothing to fear. Focus.”  
He found himself a little annoyed at their anxiety; Jakesully was doing it, surely they must know that if he was ‘worthy’ of coming to make the bond, they would know themselves to be twice as worthy?  
But he couldn’t explain that to them, most of the clan liked Jakesully well enough, and while Tsu’tey fostered disrespect for the alien, most of the clan did not. 

So Tsu’tey turned his attention back to Jakesully, watching with no small amount of curiosity as he charged out towards the groups of ikran.  
A number of them fled, but, to Tsu’tey’s mild surprise, one of them seemed to invite Jakesully’s challenge.  
Tsu’tey watched with a critical eye as Jakesully fumbled about it. His form wasn’t sloppy exactly, but neither was it ineffective. For a moment, he nearly had the bond formed but-  
The ikran’s head slammed upwards, knocking Jakesully from it and hurling him towards the edge of the cliffs. Again, Tsu’tey held back an impulsive lunge to help; interfering in the trial was taboo. Though even if it hadn’t been, why would Tsu’tey have wanted to help at all? Jakesully was an alien- and beyond that, he was an utter fool. Why move to help him?  
Tsu’tey pursed his lips and watched as Jakesully recovered, then leapt back towards his ikran, straddling it with his legs and forming the connection.  
Tsu’tey let out a sigh. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath. Jakesully moved close to the ikran’s head, whispering something before Neytiri urged him to take his first flight, following him soon after as he learned to fly in the same way he learned everything else.

Clumsily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another note: I am Not happy with the quality of this chapter. If you made it through, I ought to give /you/ the kudos :p  
Hopefully it'll shape up moving forwards. I have a loose plot I plan on following, but until I get to the * ~ end movie ~ * point it might just suck. pls be patient while i work my way there :v


	2. Constellations In His Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Re-writing a deleted scene, gay x2???? it's more likely than you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah. 6 kudos? thats. far more than i expected  
thanks for reading ofc! i honestly didn't expect anything but a platform on which to share it my friends <3
> 
> this chapter is a bit smoother since I'm better at writing scenes as opposed to like. passage of time montages
> 
> oh! as a note, I headcanon avatars to be a decent amount shorter than na'vi in addition to the 5 fingers :^)
> 
> uhhhh i think thats it for notes. lmk if u enjoy it since i live off of validation :'D

Time passed. Days blurred into weeks, and Jakesully’s improvement continued. He was a part of the People now, and Tsu’tey still hadn’t been able to decide whether he was proud of the warrior, or angry that the alien had been welcomed with open arms.

It was a celebratory evening during the Hunt Festival, a time to honor and celebrate the lives of creatures who fell to feed the People. Tsu’tey crouched away from the main celebrations. Had this been a normal festival, populated only by true Na’vi, he would have been at the forefront of the festivities.  
But that seemed to be Jakesully’s prefered place this evening.  
He gestured animatedly, apparently describing an encounter with toruk they had survived recently. Firelight illuminated the short, five-fingered alien, casting his skin with vibrant tones and harsh shadows. Tsu’tey’s hunters were enraptured by his performance, though Tsu’tey suspected a part of this was from the swoasey they consumed.  
An idea struck Tsu’tey, but he hesitated- Jakesully seemed well in the middle of his own thing, and Tsu’tey didn’t want to seem...  
He didn’t follow that train of thought, letting it fade before it could conclude. 

After a short amount of time, one of his hunters- Akuan- approached him warily. _He’s going to tell me something I don’t want to hear._ Tsu’tey sighed and gestured Akuan closer. “I see you.” He spoke the words softly, meeting the young hunter’s eyes. Akuan held his gaze and returned the greeting. “I see you, Tsu’tey.” When he hesitated, Tsu’tey flicked an ear with mild irritation. “You have something on your mind. Tell me what it is.”  
Akuan blinked, but nodded. “I see you watching Jake. Teltar’ruan and I know you care any for aliens, but he is not like them- have you Seen him, Tsu’tey?”  
Tsu’tey’s tail twitched, and his expression darkened. “Why would I See him? He’s not one of us, he’s one of-”  
“Tsu’tey te Rongloa Ateyitan, Mo’at has said he is one of us. You would not argue with her, Tsu’tey, I see that.”  
The words were a challenge, and more than that, a victory. Tsu’tey’s tail lashed, and he scowled.  
“I would not disrespect our honored Tsahik, Akuan te Ew’naiil Xouno’itan.” He all but growled to the young hunter, who seemed more sure of himself now.  
Akuan smiled. “Good. Perhaps you could get to know the warrior better, drink with him, speak with him; know him.”  
Clapping Tsu’tey on the shoulder, Akuan stood and returned to Teltar’ruan, leaving Tsu’tey to seethe alone for a short while.  
He mulled over Akuan’s words, pondering the truth of them. Was he so easy to read?  
With a sigh, he took one of the full pods of drink and slipped through the crowd towards Jakesully.  
_Neytiri and Akuan both called him Jake._ Tsu’tey considered this, then pushed it away. _It feels too friendly; too familiar. I could not. Jakesully would wonder if I have warmed up to him too much and with more than usual haste._

He approached Jakesully, finding some amusement in the sudden shift the warrior’s tone had. _I make you that uncertain, alien?_  
He crouched beside Jakesully, and offered the pod. Jake looked at him a moment, then took it silently, taking a deep drink from it. He heard the older alien, Grace, call out to Jake in warning. “Watch that stuff, it’ll knock you into next week.”  
Jake seemed to ignore her, and passed the pod back to Tsu’tey, who in turn drank from it. 

They continued in silence, generating an impressive pile of empty pods. Tsu’tey drank again, finishing the pod and depositing it with the others. For a moment he glared at the pile, feeling frustrated and entirely unsure of himself- something which had been uncommon until Jake had shown up.  
But instead of dealing with his emotions, he turned his glare towards Jake.  
“I had hoped,” he began, eyeing the alien. “With enough drink,” his gaze slid over Jake’s strange, five-fingered hands. _What does the extra one do for them? Why five?_  
He paused, recollecting his thoughts. “I had hoped you would not be so ugly.”  
He gave Jake a toothy smile, and Jake snorted. “Sorry.” The alien’s eyes seemed to wander towards the sky, looking up at the softly glowing planet. It hung in the sky, brighter than much else in the sky but still dim enough to bathe Pandora in the gentle dark of dusk.  
“You are more a warrior than any other sky person I have seen.” Tsu’tey spoke slowly, studying the bioluminescent freckles scattered across his face. Like constellations written in blue and white; so familiar, yet so foreign on his alien face.  
Jake looked back towards him and Tsu’tey abruptly looked up towards the sky, staring at the dim stars.  
He continued, taking care with his words.  
“Your other warriors- they hide in machines, fight from far away.” He leaned back, propping himself up with his hands and staring at the sky.  
For a few moments the two sat in relative silence. The night around them still hummed with the movement and noise of a celebration, but Tsu’tey couldn’t hear it. For these few moments the night was still of sound; it was theirs.  
“Not all of us do.” He paused, as if in thought. “I never have.”  
Tsu’tey looked back to Jake, considering him. “You are my exception.”  
It took him a heartbeat to realize his err while Jake stared blankly at him.  
“The exception. You are the exception, Jake.”  
Jake’s face split into a wide, lop-sided grin. “Finally getting around to calling me Jake?”  
Tsu’tey started, then frowned.  
“It was a slip of the tongue. We are not so familiar, Jakesully.”  
Jake threw his head back and laughed, his cheeks flush with color. “You’re the boss, Tsu.”  
Tsu’tey scowled, “My name is not in two parts for you to-” He broke off with an exasperated groan, glaring at Jake.  
_It was a slight slip- an easy mistake to miss._  
His glare softened into a contented expression as he continued staring at the jubilant warrior before him.  
_He caught it. Was he paying close attention to my words, or..._

Tsu’tey found he could not focus on his train of thought. The world around he and Jake seemed to grow loud again, and thinking became an effort. 

_Perhaps...he is worth knowing._

His eyes trailed towards the sky again, the stars distant and dim. The warmth from the fire was pleasant on his skin, and the rhythm of his People sang him into a comfortable state of ease. 

Jake was one of them. He was riotous and foolish, but tenacious and strong-hearted.

He was Omiticaya, and Tsu’tey found he felt no more bitterness about this; only a pleasant optimism for the future and what it may hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^))))  
anyway i have gay vibes going right now. review if u have words for me, otherwise kudos mean the world (and also more writing cos i feel love in this chili's tonight)


	3. Brief Author Interlude

**Hey y’all! Thank you so much for the comments & kudos. I’ll be updating proper again ASAP (this is a disappointing interlude, I know.), but I wanted to make a few comments myself!**

**Again, I am primarily writing this for myself and (now) two other friends - this means I’m employing essentially whatever headcanons I see fit haha.  
This interlude will be making note of the changes I plan on making to BASE design choices. Feel free to visualize them or not, but keep them in mind if I write something in a way that may otherwise not make sense.**

**The first thing I’m doing is renaming ‘unobtainium’ to ‘volitium’. I don’t know that I realllllly need to explain that one.  
The second thing I’m doing (this one’s a fairly major change that y’all may hate lol) is taking away the hair the na’vi have. They are the _only_ species on Pandora to have it, and frankly it doesn’t make any sense. My suspicion is that it was added to draw similarities between na’vi and indeginous people, which imo is questionable enough when working with aliens, and gets a bit ickier when you look at all the tropes these people fall into.**

**That being said, there are some major plot points I’ll be changing because I think they’re bad and tropey. I won’t go into them because ~ spoilers ~ , but do bear in mind I plan to change things to be less bad and tropey as best I can. I’m an amateur writer, so ofc it won’t be ~ fantastic ~, but it’s better to try and fail than to slump back and proclaim it not worth making the effort.  
Bear in mind also that I am not native. I’ve done some research on the tropes and will be doing my best to un-excecute them, but I also may be wildly bad at it. If I do something super crappy, _please_ let me know. My intentions are to make it _less_ offensive, not offensive-in-a-different-way. **

**With that said, I have some fairly substantial changes to the differences between avatars and na’vi.  
** ** Na’vi will have a number of antennae, probably 4-ish. My friend brought to my attention that I could have them designed similarly to the Protoss Zealots from starcraft, and I think that’s an accurate line to draw- regarding the ‘hair’ or lack-thereof. I like the idea of it being kept back, but I don’t like it being flat-out hair.  
Avatars will only have two antenna. **

**Na’vi will be slightly taller than avatars, and their hands and feet have the canon four digits as opposed to five.**

**That’s all I have for the time being for design changes. I hope they aren’t too much a turn off :p  
The next few days / weeks may be a bit slow on the updating front. I love the sweet comments more than I can say, but my life’s ramping up a bit with work and the release of a game I’m looking forward to lol**

**That being said, I do have a plan for a proper plot following the events of the movie. This was gonna start as minor canon divergent fluff, but I accidently worked it into a story in my head. I’m excited to tell it, and excited to share it as well. **

**Hope this wasn’t a super unwelcome interlude my friends, and I hope to see you in the next chapter ! **


	4. Assessment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hrgthghghghgfghhhh writing machine broke

Jake felt as though he were truly _home_. He was no longer a stranger to walk through a people held firm by apathy he’d once shared in.  
Once, he had lived in a world where injustice oozed from every crevice of society; a world where no one had seemed to give enough of a shit to try and change it.  
They weren’t afraid of the world.

Jake breathed in the soft damp scent of an afternoon on Pandora. He stood beside Neytiri, who watched him carefully.  
He was to hunt under her observation- Tsu’tey’s too, though he remained farther back and partially obscured from view. Jake was proud of himself for noticing the surly warrior’s hidden position, made him feel like he might actually be getting the hang of this shit. On the other hand, it also made him nervous. He knew he’d lose track of Tsu’tey eventually, and he wasn’t sure whether that was by design, or...  
Everything about this felt like a test of some sort, though Neytiri wasn’t talking.  
Jake glanced back towards where he’d last seen Tsu’tey, almost startled when he found the warrior to be gone already. Moved on to another shadow presumably, existing somewhere outside of Jake’s perception.  
He blinked, feeling his skin prickle uncomfortably. He looked to Neytiri, almost wanting to say something- to say that he didn’t want to be lurked at by Tsu’tey; that he didn’t trust the man not to purposely startle his prey, or sabotage him in another way-  
But it would have sounded-  
No, it would have _been_ a plaintive whine. He didn’t really want her to fix it, he wanted to prove he could handle it. Jake Sully furrowed his brow and crouched low to the ground.  
He would succeed in spite of whatever crap Tsu’tey threw at him.

*******

Tsu’tey did as he so often found himself doing; he watched Jake. Watched as the young hunter looked about nervously only briefly before seemingly forgetting to look for Tsu’tey.  
_No, not forgetting. He is alert, but he is not wasting time and effort in looking for me._  
Tsu’tey felt a small measure of pride, though he had no right to it. Neytiri had trained him wholly; Tsu’tey had refused until now to be a part of it.  
Neytiri had asked him to accompany them on this, to watch alongside Neytiri and assess his abilities. Assess his right to full initiation into the clan. His right to their ancestral knowledge.  
A part of Tsu’tey hissed inside, howling at the outrage of it; the insanity he and the rest of his kin had suddenly found nestled in their hearts.  
But a growing part of him drowned this out. He looked forward to seeing Jake’s ever increasing wonder at their everyday; he looked forward to seeing how the hunter- _warrior_\- would continue to grow with them. It became easier and easier to forget that when he slept he was not one of them, but a creature of apathetic violence. One of the demons that plagued them.

He watched Jake track his quarry, noted his recovery when Tsu’tey did startle it from where Jake had been anticipating it; feeling no small amount of amusement when Jake realized what had happened.  
Jake was a respectable hunter. Not spectacular like some Tsu’tey had seen, but commendable considering his nature. He slipped from his most current hiding place with a languid grace, stepping softly onto the rough bark of the branch upon which Neytiri stood. She glanced at him, then back down towards Jake as he thanked the creature for the life which it gave.  
“He is ready.” She spoke it as a challenge, as though she expected Tsu’tey to argue. He flicked his ear and watched Jake in turn. “You did well with him.”  
He tried to sound begrudging; tried to maintain his air of disdain. He wasn’t sure why anymore- a matter of pride, perhaps? But even so, he found it hard to drop his facade of dislike for the man. He was to be Olo’eyktan, he had to be hard to impress, no? It made sense enough to him.  
Neytiri took the praise with a twitch of the lips. “You should take him to the Tree of Voices, Tsu’tey. Perhaps if you knew him better, you would do us all the favor of shutting up about him.” Tsu’tey startled.  
_’Shutting up about him‘? I don’t talk about him- I-_  
“It is the duty of the mentor to take him there. Besides, I do not speak of him that often; often, I try to forget he exists.”  
Neytiri snorted, “Try to listen to yourself next time you speak, Tsu’tey.”  
She laughed, presumably at the indignant expression Tsu’tey now wore.  
“I do not-”  
She interrupted him. “Besides that, the tradition isn’t that the mentor show the apprentice, but that the most seasoned warrior take them.”  
Tsu’tey ground his teeth, letting a scowl settle on his face as Jake slowly began to climb towards them, the creature he had slain slung across his back.  
“That is a technicality, Neytiri. The ‘most seasoned warrior’ usually is the one teaching them, this is not the case here, so it must be-”  
“You need to _See_ him, Tsu’tey te Rongloa Ateyitan. You have refused to, but you cannot be willfully blind forever.”  
Tsu’tey’s tail lashed in agitation. In truth, the idea appealed to him more than he would admit, but it would be wrong to take this from her- to step in and claim Jake’s officiation into the clan’s lineage after she had forged him into one of the People.  
“I...cannot.”  
Neytiri looked at Tsu’tey briefly, then back towards Jake.  
“It is not a request.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im half asleep, i plan on getting the next bit out shortly- hopefully tomorrow lol. whats gonna happen at the tree of voices? who knows!  
i do. i know whats gonna happen.


	5. Towards the Web

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol i keep accidentally making the chapters really short rip

“Where are you taking me?” Jake Tsu’tey’s brisk pace as the light began to dim on Pandora.  
Tsu’tey didn’t answer, and Jake scowled. “Why are you the one taking me to wherever the hell we’re going? You haven’t ever been a part of my training in the past, why now?” He spoke through sharp breaths as he wound through thick, viny foliage. The forest floor seemed to grow ever more crowded as they moved onward, and Jake cursed inwardly. He’d grown accustomed to navigating around the denser parts of the forest from above, either on his banshee or through trees. This was decidedly a bigger pain in the ass.  
Which was probably why Tsu’tey seemed intent on making him do it.  
_Tough-ass commanders are everywhere, huh?_  
He almost smiled, a wry sort of amusement at the thought. He couldn’t seem to get away from militant superiors, regardless of where he went or what team he swung for.  
“So why’d Neytiri pawn me off on you for this thing?” He got a small amount of satisfaction from pestering Tsu’tey; it wasn’t often he was able to give proper lip to a commanding officer.  
“Tìfnu, velke skxawng.”  
_Silence, chaotic idiot._  
“Things would be less interesting if I wasn’t a ‘velke skxawng’, Tsu’tey.” Jake called back, a grin tugging at his lips.  
“Nga pängkxoyu’ìnglìsì, kea‘o’nga.”  
_You speak incessantly, you no longer bring joy._  
Jake laughed out loud, but said nothing more. He could have sworn he heard a smile in Tsu’tey’s voice, but decided not to push it. He didn’t want to accidentally get friendly with the chieftain-to-be, it’d take the fun out of their relationship.  
Besides that, Jake wanted to think a bit on why Neytiri might have had Tsu’tey bring him to whatever they were doing now. 

The sky grew darker, and the world came alive. Below and around them both flora and fauna glowed faintly, and the planet above them hung in the sky, bright enough to bathe them in a soft, pleasant light.  
Tsu’tey slowed down, and through the brush Jake thought he could see the dim glow of something far more brilliant ahead.  
_There are_ more _ glowing-_  
He stopped, seemingly in tandem with Tsu’tey.  
_Jesus, is this a tree of souls deal?_  
He stared ahead past Tsu’tey, a curious fascination fixing on him, urging him to get closer- he could swear he heard whispers, drawing him towards them-  
“Ftang.” Tsu’tey put a hand on his shoulder, and Jake shuddered, pulling back into himself. Tsu’tey spoke in English.  
“We will proceed with caution, Jakesully.” He narrowed his eyes at Jake for a moment, then his expression seemed to soften. “It was by Neytiri’s demand that I am the one to take you here- to share with you all that we were, and all we will ever be.”  
Jake stared past him towards the light just a moment longer before snapping his attention back to Tsu’tey. “I flew over one of these with Neytiri- is this another one of the trees of souls?”  
Tsu’tey snorted. “There are not any other Tree of Souls. It is in the same spirit of Vitraya Ramunong, but it is not the same. Understand?”  
“No, but continue.”  
Tsu’tey scowled.  
“We are at Utral Aymokriyä, and here you will connect to our people.” He hesitated, then added, “It can overwhelm you, the first time you connect to them. And you-” He paused, looking away and seeming frustrated. Jake was about to interject when Tsu’tey found his words.  
“Zun Eywa spaw nga’letsranten, Poe sxteli fyawìntxu äie’nga.”  
_If Eywa believes you (are) important, She (will) gift (spiritual) guidance to you._  
Apparently, Tsu’tey didn’t believe Jake could parse that, and he repeated in English:  
“If you are important to Eywa as Neytiri believes, it may be more dangerous- you could be overwhelmed.”  
“So you’re saying that if she ‘chooses’ me, she’ll try to kill me?”  
Tsu’tey scowled.  
“No. She will show you what you must see- whatever you must see.”  
“But it might kill me in the process.”  
“Only if you are stupid.”  
Tsu’tey paused, then nodded. “So yes, it might kill you.”  
“Thanks for the heads up. We going in?” Jake tried to dazzle him with a winning smile, but couldn’t find the focus to be a proper nuisance, and ended up only mildly irritating.  
“Do not die; Neytiri would be very upset.”  
“And you’d be what? Inconvenienced?”  
“Kxawm lom’nga.”  
_Maybe (I would) miss you._  
Jake grinned, but Tsu’tey amended in English.  
“But as I might miss a landmark, or interesting piece of brush.”  
He seemed to sober. “We are wasting time now. Come.”

And through the light of the world around and sky above, Tsu’tey and Jake walked together. The world around them seemed to hum and chitter, alive with the calls- the fluttering- the beating hearts of living creatures. 

A world that watched as her messenger and warrior both drew closer to her open conduit. Through her, they would act as her fang and claw, and she would douse them with knowledge as potent as venom.  
Her enemies would writhe and fall by her design.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im writing the next chapter now i Swear. i'll finish it either tonight (unlikely), tomorrow morning (midlikely), or tomorrow night (latest unless something comes up)
> 
> update: my mood plummeted, tomorrow or the day after <3


	6. Heartbeats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha took a bit longer than I had hoped; I was really vibing with my writing last night....until I wasn't :')  
Wrote about half of it this morning, and the other half this evening. Hope y'all enjoy :)

Jake felt the world go still as he stepped into the light of the Tree of Voices. He felt accutely aware of Tsu’tey’s presence being the only sentient-  
Jake stopped. That wasn’t quite right- no, there _was_ something sentient here- something enormous. Tsu’tey was the only sentient being nearby that Jake could really _understand_.   
Hesitantly, Jake held his queue- his tswin- towards a brilliantly glowing cord. He watched with an equal measure of fear and fascination as his own faintly pink queue sought out the bright limb, and nearly winced at the intensity of the connection as it grasped hold of Utral Aymokriyä.  
A wave of vertigo followed by nausea hit him like a truck. With a sudden force, he felt somehow detached from his body- he felt the world floating in a vast space, and couldn’t tell up from down. He was dizzy, sick, and-

Weightless.

The world around him became black, and his self seemed to flow within it all. Separation became a myth- he was no more distinct than a pebble amongst a landslide.

He seemed to float in silence for a time, smothered by a thick darkness- had he been more aware, he might have been worried; but as it was he felt only a strange sense of serenity. 

A dull thumping noise seemed to drift in from afar, muffled, but there nonetheless. Jake focused on it, a morbid curiosity seizing him.   
_A heartbeat?_  
It seemed to grow closer, and the void seemed to stir around him, as though moved by the beating. Abruptly, Jake felt the cold breath of wind on a face that was not his own. He heard the low, rumbling hum of choppers. He could smell the acrid, sharp odor of chemical smoke mixed with the thick scent of burning foliage.  
The thumping grew louder, and Jake felt suddenly uncertain; it felt like war here, but he could make no moves. He was trapped; immobile and useless- he would die, burn in the wretched fires of-  
Through the desolation, a voice cried out, fierce and certain.  
“Hawnu’eko! Toruk Makto tswayon rofa’nga, fte kllkxem hu nìnrra, tsumuk!”  
_Fight! Rider of Last Shadow flies at your side, so stand with me proudly, my brothers and sisters!_

Clarity.

Heaviness.

The vague feeling of being ill without a body.

Jake Sully inhaled, the sharp taste of living forest air flooding his senses. He was a body in form again, a vessel filled with soul.   
He opened his eyes to a world of gentle color- of hues soft as a mother’s embrace. He realized dully that he was on the ground, his face resting on the cool dirt. He shifted, feeling the tendril that he connected to sliding over his skin as he displaced it with his movement. He blinked, surprised when he felt the warmth of a hand on his shoulder.   
“Easy, Jakesully. Eywa has returned you safely, but you will be weak.”   
The english words sounded sharp in Tsu’tey’s tongue, and Jake wondered how he hadn’t noticed the sureness of Tsu’tey’s voice. Jake didn’t know what to say, he looked to Tsu’tey, a newfound respect for the warrior. He let the first words that came to mind tumble out of his mouth.  
“That was a hell of a trip.”  
Tsu’tey seemed to relax, if only a little. A smile cracked his lips, and he clapped Jake on the shoulder. “You lived, Jakesully. I was worried you would not.” He looked Jake in the eyes. “I did not know how your mind would take it. You do not live in this body, I was worried you would not find your way back to it. That you would become confused- lost in Eywa and unable to find your human body.”  
“Honestly? There wasn’t a lot of finding to do, sir. It...” He trailed off, a mixture of dizziness and a lack of words to describe what had happened silencing him. Tsu’tey furrowed his brows, a worried look settling over his face, his bright yellow-green eyes fixed on Jake.   
“We will sleep here, Jakesully. You are not fit to return- you will recover, but you must rest.”   
Jake stared at Tsu’tey a moment.   
_So stand with me proudly, my brothers and sisters!_  
Tsu’tey’s rallying cry seemed to echo in Jake’s ears. A reminder of the man Tsu’tey was at heart- the warrior, the _leader_ Tsu’tey embodied. He focused on the shape of Tsu’tey’s face. The way his brows creased, the way his cheek seemed to flow with the sweeping stripes, the glowing flecks across his face, their pattern somehow valiant.   
His jaw seemed to sweep forward, drawing the eye to his lips.   
Tsu’tey suddenly looked away, ears drawn back nervously, and Jake realized with burning cheeks that perhaps staring at the future chief of the clan’s lips was unwise.   
“Sorry, I was thinking about what I saw.”  
Only slightly untrue.  
Tsu’tey didn’t look at Jake, though Jake could swear the man’s cheeks were just a little more flush with color.   
“You need to rest still. Come, you can walk a small ways- I will sleep better if you don’t collapse at the far edge of Utral Aymokriyä. We are safer deeper.”

Slowly, Jake rose to his feet, glad for the tail that steadied his imbalanced steps. He followed Tsu’tey, who seemed to walk slower than normal. Jake felt no small measure of gratitude as the world tried very hard to spin around him- presumably to throw him to the ground as a punishment for...well, for a number of things probably.   
The two walked in silence for a short period before Jake presumably stumbled once too many times, causing Tsu’tey to let out an annoyed huff before stalking towards Jake and propping him up. “Skxawng, can’t even walk straight...”  
In spite of himself, Jake laughed. “I promise I’m trying,”   
Tsu’tey flicked an ear dismissively. “If this is your best effort, you are not trying very hard.”  
Jake made an effort to lean on Tsu’tey as minimally as he could; he _was_ trying.

***

Tsu’tey felt the earth beneath his feet give just a little with each step. Beside him, Jake walked in a strangely fatigued daze.  
He had never seen anything like that happen- had never even heard of it. Jake had _connected_ to the Tree of Voices, then collapsed. He had lain there for nearly a half hour, as still as death and quiet as the grave in turn. Tsu’tey had placed a hand on his chest, not entirely convinced that Jake was not in fact dead until he’d felt the man’s slowly beating heart. When Jake had awoken, Tsu’tey had kept masked his concern with a cool certainty- the feigning of knowledge. Tsu’tey of course had some knowledge of what happened with the Tree of Voices- but it was far less..._involved_ than what had happened this night.  
_But it passed,_ Tsu’tey told himself. _It is over and now all we must do is survive the night and return to hometree in the morning. I will explain what happened- speak with Mo’at- and Jake can detail his experience._  
His tail twitched nervously, and he glanced down at Jake. Something about the evened felt foreboding- the wind moaned ominously through the trees, and the creatures of the night seemed eerily silent. A single howling cry rang out in the distance- an ikran, maybe? It made him nervous.

He led Jake towards the base of the tree, making his best effort to avoid looking at the man. The way Jake had been staring at him earlier... He felt his cheeks grow hot, and he scowled. Nonetheless however he aided in making sure Jake settled towards the ground smoothly, helping to keep him from tumbling partway down.  
“We will be safe here, predators do not come to...” He trailed off. Jake seemed already to be asleep-  
“Keep talking, I’m just resting my eyes.”  
A smile pulled at Tsu’tey’s lips, and his expression softened. “Predators do not come here to hunt. We will be safe.”  
He settled down beside Jake, though careful not to encroach on the man’s personal space. For a moment, he watched the steady rise and fall of Jake’s chest. He forgot, however briefly, of the fear that lurked just beyond the light.   
For a heartbeat, for just a breath, Tsu’tey felt content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two bros! chillin at the tree of souls! 5 feet apart cuz theyre not gay!


	7. Intermission x2

haha so here's another intermission! it's been a bit over a week since I've updated, and since i HAD been updating daily, I figured y'all deserved a shitty author interlude where i promise I'm working on it (albeit slowly).

so here we are!

I do have an understanding of what I want to happen in the next chapter, and it's slowly coming together- the biggest roadblock is that classic wow launched and i am all over that like flies on a corpse! 

I'll try n get something out....hmm, ideally tonight? but it depends on where my friend is in her schedule / ability to play with me. when she's able to play, i like to play too :3c

anyway! this is Not forgotten. I'm super glad y'all are enjoying it; frankly if you weren't I probably wouldn't be so fussed about trying to update it quickly here x)

Hopefully I'll have an update for you rolling out tonight! If not, assume I'm playing The Hell out of classic wow :P


	8. Wrecking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahaha thanks for your patience y'all x)  
This is a bit longer than my usual chapter because we're now getting to a point in the story where I'm better writing longer shit! Ideally this'll be the kinda average chapter length !
> 
> It may be a lil while till the next one. I annoyed the shit out of my sister by writing this instead of doing dungeons with her lol
> 
> Anyway ! hopefully y'all like it!

Jake awoke from his podsleep feeling dazed, but sat up nonetheless. Grace glanced over to him, presumably having awoken some time ago.  
“You park somewhere safe, marine?”  
She didn’t ask him how the ceremony went, and he was grateful for it. Jake was not entirely ready at this point to talk about what had happened- not to any person, at least.  
“I’ve got the chief-to-be watching, big guy can’t get enough of me.” Grace snorted, taking a drag from her cigarette and standing up. “Make sure to log it before you clock out. We’ll need that data, Jake.”  
Jake nodded mutely, pulling his legs from the pod and lowering himself into his wheelchair. He wheeled towards his cam, turning it on and taking a moment before talking. He rubbed his temples, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to wrap his head around what he’d seen only ... _Jesus, can’t even keep track of time anymore._  
Jake let out a sigh, and looked at the camera lense.

“I’m a part of them. I’m one of the ‘people’.”  
He gave a halfhearted laugh,  
“I see them. I really- everything they are is real. Eywa - something at least - it’s real and it’s out there. I saw something tonight, and words aren’t really gonna cut it for what I saw.”  
A light shake of the head.  
“Whatever it is, their religion is tangible- it’s real, something you can see. I don’t know what- God I don’t know...”  
He laughs again, though it seems more a nervous thing. When he spoke again, it was softly- as though afraid someone would overhear.  
“God I might be going crazy, but something’s coming. We’re not gonna get them to leave, and it’s gonna be a warzone out there.” He looked into the camera lense, eyes weary. “It’s gonna be a warzone, and I don’t know if I can fall on our side.”  
Jake pursed his lips, then turned the camera off. It was a brief log, more a journal entry than anything else, but no one went through them so it was free game.  
Jake heaved another sigh, resting his eyes a moment before wheeling to his bunk. Tomorrow would begin soon, and Jake couldn’t shake the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Briefly he could smell the smoke again; the thick rhythmic beating in his ear; gunshots and the roar of fire.

A shiver ran down his back, and the hairs on his arm stood on end. His stomach twisted, and he furrowed his brow.  
Something _was_ coming. Whatever it was, he hoped to God that when it struck, it would do so with minimal casualties.

***

Tsu’tey watched Jake sleep. His chest fell and rose evenly, markedly dissimilar to the unsteady and weary breathes he’d taken earlier.  
_Is it the peace of slumber, or is it that he’s no longer there? That his body is empty and feels no worry?_  
The question no longer bothered Tsu’tey as much as it once had. Whether he was always himself or not, he was, in some ways, still a constant. Whether he walked in this body or another, Tsu’tey felt certain that the man was still foolish, bold, and genuine regardless of the body he occupied.  
_He wouldn’t know how to be anything else._ Tsu’tey thought with some amusement.

He looked up towards the tree that sheltered them, unease prickling at his skin. _What did he see? Ewya’s cycle permit that he tells us what is important before it is too late._

He turned his eyes back towards Jake’s sleeping form. He was only a small distance away, and could see every detail on his body- the curve of his spine, the thinness of his stripes, the softly glowing freckles on his shoulders. Almost absently, Tsu’teys mind wandered back to the way Jake had stared at him, eyes lingering on his jaw- his lips...  
Tsu’tey’s face grew warm and he bit his lip, looking away from Jake. He could not entertain those thoughts, and needed to ensure Jake understood this as well. It could be a misunderstanding, but the way Jake had looked at him felt far from vague in its intent. 

Tsu’tey swallowed, a scowl settling on his face as his tail lashed. How he was supposed to sleep now was beyond him, but he would need to stay here in any case; he had told Jake that he would stay, and so he would. Besides that, he wasn’t convinced the fool could find his way back if he needed.  
He sighed and nestled deeper into the soft ground at the roots of the Tree of Voices and closed his eyes. He would find a time to speak with Jake- ensure there were no misunderstandings. Best to be upfront; though it was likely he thought Tsu’tey still hated him, it wasn’t something Tsu’tey could allow to grow.  
He shook his head, his ears going back a moment as he considered the situation.  
_It will need to be fixed. Quickly, too._

Tsu’tey would spend the next two hours considering the problem and all potential solutions to it as he slowly drifted into an uneasy, anxiety-ridden slumber.

***  
Jake awoke from a slumber riddled with screams, fire, and the smell of burning flesh. He had wheeled himself to his pod, bantering idly with Norm and trying very hard to seem unbothered.  
“They don’t need names, they’re-”  
“They’re an extension of you, Jake, you can’t just call it “your banshee”, I feel like there’s definitely a rule about that.”  
“You know that for sure?”  
“Absolutely.”  
“‘Cause last I checked I’m the one with the first-hand experience.”  
“Oh shove off,”  
Jake forced what he hoped was a cheeky grin before lifting into the pod. He could hear Grace coming, and turned the pod on. He could just about promise that she’d find some way to-

“Here, eat this- don’t think I didn’t catch onto your newest bullshit.”  
She brandished microwaved eggs at him, a groggy scowl on her face. He hesitates, looking to the pod before Grace powers it off, pushing the eggs at him further. “It’s still early, you’ve got plenty of time marine.”

***

Tsu’tey awoke quickly, noticing first how close he’d somehow gotten to Jake. They were pressed nearly together, and Tsu’tey felt the brief sting of shame as he pulled back, glad that he’d been the first to awaken.  
But he had little time to focus much on that. The malease he had felt last night had only grown, and a sense of deep dread settled over him. As he stood, the world seemed eerily silent, devoid of the sounds of life which normally permeated the forest.  
Now Tsu’tey heard only the beating of his heart in his chest; as desperate wings on the wind.

He heard it. 

The unmistakable crunch- the thick, heavy noise that human machinery made.  
_No!_

“Jake!” Tsu’tey dropped to a crouch, shaking Jake’s unconscious body quickly, all the while fully aware of the futility of his actions.

***

“I know you think living’s a pain, but you can’t avoid it by waking up earlier than me.”  
Grace was chiding Jake as he shoveled lukewarm eggs into his mouth, the rising sun filtering through the window and nearly blinding him.  
“You can’t make me the asshole here, if I wasn’t here you would have wasted away by now.”  
Norm laughed, and Grace turned on him. “I expected at least one of you to be an adult here- no, no I expected _you specifically_ to be an adult.”  
Jake finished the eggs and handed them back to Grace, moving to turn the pod on again-

***  
Tsu’tey moved frantically. He carried Jake in his arms, searching for somewhere to put him- somewhere safe where he could deposit Jake while he was dead to the world. Somewhere to stash him before it was too late- before the lost the chance to stop the machinery.  
A panic rose in his throat. He _had_ to stop it- had to do _something._ He had his bow on him, but he couldn’t leave Jake in the machine’s path- couldn’t-  
_It’s falling. We’re falling._  
A silent wail rose in his throat. He moved quickly, all but running with Jake in his arms. _Somewhere- anywhere!_

***

“No you don’t, drink this first.”  
Jake groaned and took the tepid coffee, bringing the mug to his lips and taking heavy gulps.  
Norm shook his head, “That’s so gross man.” Jake paused long enough to manage a forced smile before throwing back the rest of it, a slight ill feeling settling in his stomach. It had been too long since he’d last eaten, so most everything would now serve to make him nauseous. Of course, if he were linked he wouldn’t feel it.  
“Can I go now?” He asked, the exasperation he felt seeping into his voice as he eyed Grace testily.  
“When was the last time you showered?”  
Jake’s lips pinched into a thin line, but Grace just shook her head and waved at him. “Fine, go along then. I’ll see you at Hometree.”  
Jake grumbled, then turned on the link pod.

***  
Tsu’tey felt the echoes of a scream as the human machinery plowed into the Tree of Voices. A sharp pain hit his chest, and he nearly dropped Jake. His ears pressed against his head in a vain attempt to muffle the scream- it tore through him, soft and terrible. He hunched over, tail lashing as he pulled Jake close to his chest, further trying to pull himself into as small a form as possible.  
The screams didn’t stop.  
Tsu’tey bared his teeth, as though the threat would stop the ripping- the killing of their history, the destruction of their-  
Jake suddenly squirmed in Tsu’tey’s arms, rolling out of them and hitting the ground with a heavy thump.  
“Stop them!” Tsu’tey managed to call through gritted teeth. He didn’t know why he asked Jake- why he hoped the man could do anything to stop this- but...

***  
Jake’s vision was still soft with sleep, but still he scrambled to his feet. He heard Tsu’tey- albeit barely over the dull roar of gigantic tractor- and felt his own heart hammering in his chest.  
_Stop them!_  
Tsu’tey’s command rang in his head, piercing through the thick angry noise of decimation. 

He acted without thinking, running back towards where the vehicle now plowed. He stood in its way and shouted, jumped- anything to get their attention. If he could just explain-

It stopped.

Jake let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and he stilled. His mind raced- how could he contact them? Could he get-

It started again.

_No!_

Jake stumbled back, staring dumbfounded as it moved onward, uncaring of his presence. 

_No, damn you!_

Without thinking, Jake scrambled away, then in a single impulsive action, all but slithered up towards the top of it. His eyes scanned the top of the thing, looking for-  
_There!_  
A thick rage built within him, blinding him. He pulled the dagger from its sheath and fell forward, wrapping one hand around the tower of the camera and slamming his blade into the lense. It didn’t give, and he flipped it around before smacking it with the pommel. A few sturdy hits did the trick, and the vehicle slowed to a stop. For a moment, Jake perched there, a worry still worming in his stomach. He had only slowed it- they couldn’t stop it, they had to run, had to warn-

He had to warn them.

He had to tell them what the RDA had planned.

Had to tell them that he was a traitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hgfhgdfhgf YA. ya...
> 
> I took some liberties with the dialogue because what's the fun in canon divergence if the words stay the same in scenes that are ~ similar ~
> 
> Like I said, it may be a lil while before the next one? Classic wow is in full swing and I'm currently doing Real Fancy Leveling and groundwork-setting for later game stuff.
> 
> Comments literally are what fueled this, so shout out to everyone who took a moment to write some nice things! y'all are the reason I actually wrote this chapter now instead of later. My friends are still reading, but have been also busy :p
> 
> also im just gonna add the tags "slow burn" and "mutual pining" because I've realized that actually it may be awhile before these two jackasses say shit about their feelings 
> 
> ONE MORE THING: I didn't reaaalllllyyy edit or proofread this, so hopefully it's not unpalatable lol


	9. Futile Words Unspoken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahaha hey guys its been a dogs age and then some, huh? well, we're back! gonna start the next chapter now actually, so maybe I'll take less time to get it out lmaooooo  
we're ALMOST out of the movie-zone, so I'll be taking full wheel shortly. very excited about that >:3c

Tsu’tey felt numb. He knew he should feel rage- he could feel is somewhere within him- but he couldn’t grasp it. He looked to Jake, who seemed to walk with a weight upon his shoulders; something troubled him.  
And Tsu’tey found it hard to care.  
He wasn’t bitter, or untrusting- though perhaps when the feeling returned to his soul he would. 

The Tree of Voices was decimated. Not gone- not wholly. Whatever Jake had done had put a halt on it- but Tsu’tey knew as well as anyone that this was temporary. The aliens would not give up their stone, whatever the cost in blood and spirit may be. His people would need to fight- and die if need be- for their home.  
Would Jake fight with them?  
Tsu’tey’s eyes flicked towards the man who stood in two worlds. He walked both lines- for which would he die? For which would he kill?  
Tsu’tey looked away. His ears flattened to his skull, worry eating at him. He did not want to see his people perish by the cold metal of the outlanders. Something had to be done- they needed to strike first, to keep the aliens on the defensive. The price would be heavy, but maybe - just maybe - it would save their people.

He breathed out a heavy, worried sigh. They would all suffer before the end of this, but if they took care, perhaps they would live. 

***  
Jake felt the soft earth beneath his feet, the slight give of forest detritus as he stepped upon it, savoring the smell of damp plantlife around him as he walked.  
It was something to focus on. Something to keep him from running circles in his head as they drew ever closer to hometree- to the beginning of the end.  
The sharp, piercing cries of animals in the trees sang out into the morning. Their ringing calls a reminder of the world’s continued existence around the coming disaster.  
Would they scream as they burned?  
Jake squeezed his eyes shut, inhaling deeply. The heavy, wet smell of the forest chased away the thick smell of smoke that pervaded his memories. He grounded himself, and tried moved forwards with as much stubborn will as he could muster.  
Beside him, Tsu’tey seemed to do much the same. The taller man’s ears were pressed to his head, and his tail lashed as they walked.  
_He’s gonna kill me._  
Jake looked away, turning his eyes to Hometree in the distance instead. It wound through the sky, stretching and reaching towards the heavens above. Even now- even knowing all he’d been told about the biology of the planet and the flora residing on it- even having seen human constructs that rivaled Hometree’s massive height- it was spectacular to behold.  
The strange weaving of its wood seemed almost rope-like, as though someone once had taken it upon themselves to weave together great vines.  
Jake could feel his heart hammering in his ears as he tried to focus on the tree. Under most circumstances this wouldn’t have been hard- there really was a lot to think about with the massive organism. But now it seemed wholly impossible.  
It felt near as impossible as the choice he had to make- as the truths that would need to be told to people who saw him as family.

***  
“I will lead the war party.”  
Tsu’tey’s voice rang out across the small clearing, and a murmur of worry and approval both seemed to move through the crowd. “We will strike first! We will show them that this _cannot_ happen. We will find them in their haven- find them where they think they cannot be touched, where they feel strongest-”  
It was the other alien, Grace, who spoke up first, interrupting him as she spoke in imperfect Na’vi. “Please, this will only make things worse!”  
Tsu’tey’s eyes grew hard, and his lips curled up in a half-snarl. “You do not speak here, _alien._” He all but spat the word at her, taking half a step towards her. Before he could continue however, a brush of movement caught his eye. Jake stepped forward, Neytiri following behind him. Tsu’tey felt himself relax just a little- he would be stronger for the two of them by his side.  
Jake paused, eyes flittering about as he avoided looking at Tsu’tey, who felt his heart sink. _Do you side with them? Are you going to betray us?_  
Then, Jake looked up- not to Tsu’tey, but past him where Eytukan stood, overseeing Tsu’tey’s telling and promise of vengeance.  
“Eytukan, I need the audience of the clan.” He spoke in Na’vi, though his voice shook around the poorly pronounced words. Tsu’tey watched him, a harshness growing on his face. He did not see Eytukan grant permission, but Jake’s expression told him his voice was welcome.  
Jake turned his attention to Neytiri, and he spoke softly to her for a moment, worry bleeding into his voice.  
Tsu’tey’s brows knit into a scowl, and his lip twitched softly with anger. Whatever conspiracy Jake was a part of, he had now brought Neytiri into it.  
The two stepped up to where Tsu’tey stood, though Tsu’tey refused to move down, choosing instead to square his shoulders and deliver a harsh look across the crowd- to show the people that he was still angry. To show them that they too were allowed to be angry.

When Jake spoke, it was not in Na’vi, and he did not speak loudly, instead turning just slightly to Neytiri- apparently asking her to translate.  
And translate she did.  
“There is something that I have to tell you,”  
Tsu’tey didn’t mean to turn his attention to Jake, to his expression- to the worry and pain laced in his eyes, the nervousness of his stance, the tension in his posture.  
“I came to you to learn, to understand you, to find a channel to speak on that would be heard.”  
Jake swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing.  
“I need to warn you, to deliver a message from them-”  
Neytiri stopped translating for a moment, looking at Jake with a mixture of confusion and hurt before continuing,  
“To tell you that they aren’t gonna stop, and that if you want to survive, you’re gonna need...” She stopped translating, her tail lashing in agitation as she looked to Jake and spoke in hushed English.  
Tsu’tey didn’t try to eavesdrop. Blood roared in his ears, and a sense of numbness blanketed him.  
_I was right. I was right from the start. He was not to be one of us- he was to be a messenger of doom. He never wanted to be one of the People, he never wanted...never..._ Rage, dampened by shock, began to pulse through him, and he turned on Jake- turned on the man he had only recently come to know as a friend- turned on the man who turned on him.  
“You are not one of us.” He spoke through gritted teeth, and felt the eyes of Eytukan and Mo’at both upon him.  
Jake turned his attention from Neytiri to Tsu’tey, then looked away, unable to meet his eyes. “I wanted to be, brother. At first it was just- at first it was just a job, something they told me-”  
“You are _not_ my brother!” Tsu’tey spat the words, “You do not walk with us! You never have, Jakesully.” He forced contempt into his voice, though he feared some measure of the betrayal he felt in his bones must have leaked through.  
Eytukan spoke, breaking the attention of Tsu’tey and Neytiri on Jake.  
“Jakesully,”  
Jake seemed to shrink for a moment, then pulled himself back up and looked to Eytukan. “Yes, sir?”  
_He does not even try to speak our language anymore, he abandons us._  
“You say you did not seek to join us to become a part of the People, but to deliver a warning?” Jake gave a curt nod. “That’s correct, sir.”  
Tsu’tey watched as Eytukan’s mouth drew into a thin line, and knew that he was not alone in his feelings of upset and betrayal.  
“Then deliver it. Neytiri, you are translating for him?”  
“Yes, father.” She seemed to regain enough composure to speak with clarity.  
“Good.”  
Eytukan nodded to Jake to continue, and as the man hesitated for but a moment, Tsu’tey noticed Grace fall. A sudden realization struck him, and his attention flicked back to Jake.  
As Jake began to speak, Tsu’tey knew what was about to happen. He saw it almost in slow motion- the sudden vacancy in Jake’s eyes; the slight slump in his shoulders as his body was left without a mind; the hitch as his knees buckled and he slipped to the ground.

Jake Sully, Na’vi, Alien, friend, lay on the ground unconscious, whatever warning he’d been about to deliver dead on his unmoving lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some lengthy notes down here cos im a talkative bastard. feel free to ignore!
> 
> so! i took a long time! sorry about that, and thanks for y'alls patience. work's really heated up lately, and on top of that a lot of my free time / energy has been spent on wow classic cos that's the live I've been living!  
that being said this is ABSOLUTELY not forgotten! as i've assured in the comments, I very much have plans to finish this!  
on that note: the comments that are left absolutely make my day! i know i don't always write what yall wanna read, but I'm glad that what I'm writing is appealing to at least some people other than myself and my small handful of interested friends :')
> 
> i know my characterization isn't necessarily great, but I'm cautiously optimistic that i'll get better as time goes on. i have some big plans for the battle, but it might also just suck.  
HOPEFULLY as we get to post-movie stuff, things will improve ! i have a vague idea of what i want, and the possibility of actual real romance between dumbass and dumbass becomes more and more real the more time they spend together. i can't give an exact timeline, but im hopeful that soonish it'll be like. an actual romance instead of just story bullshit lol
> 
> hope this chapter was ok! i went by the law of "half-assed is better than no-assed" so it's probably a bit crunchy. sorry. I really just wanted to get it written so I'd stop procrastinating on this part


	10. Firestarter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!! It's been a little while, huh? Good news is I'm back, and I should be in full swing for at least a month! I haven't lost a nanowrimo in years, so 2k words a day should lead to fairly frequent updates.
> 
> I've thought a bit about the comments I was left, specifically those regarding Tsu'tey's relations in the comics. I think I'm electing to move with a different plot concept (a different reason for him to hate humans the way he does), partially because I don't know enough about the comics to do it justice, and partially because the other concept I have for the origination of his anger towards humans is one I really like. It's simple, but I'm excited to see how it'll come out!
> 
> I really appreciate y'all bringing it to my attention, since I do enjoy looking at other potential hooks. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for your patience with me as I took forever! I hope this chapter and the following ones will make up for it a bit.

A link interrupted. A violent, unkind jerking from one body to another. The sting of air in his lungs. The ringing in his ears as the lid to his could-be-coffin lifts.  
His eyes land on Quaritch, vision still blurry - shapes still vague. Somehow, Quaritch seemed more pissed off than usual.  
_Shit, he found out._

The helicopter ride back to the RDA site was quiet. He sat in the back beside Grace and Norm, Quaritch standing on a gun and making cruel comments whenever he could think to. Jake, to his credit, said little in response - though this was at least in part due to Grace’s stern looks.  
_“We don’t talk to the guard-dog.”_ Said Grace’s elbow. Painfully. Several times.

“Don’t even talk to your own people now, Sully? Think you’re better than us ‘cause you think it’s cute to worship a fucking tree?” 

“You -”  
_”Shut up.”_ Said Grave’s elbow again.

Quaritch snorted and turned his attention back out to the passing landscape. He shook his head, somewhere between amused and disgusted. “You’re a goddamn shame, Jake Sully.”  
They passed a small flock of ikran.  
Quaritch shot at them.  
Unnecessary, cruel.  
Jake clenched his jaw, and spent the remainder of the trip trying to figure out how the hell he was going to solve this one.

Grace, Norm, and Jake maintained their silence as they were escorted into the office of Parker Selfridge, administrator of the RDA operation on Pandora. This was the man they needed to talk to - this was the man they needed to convince.  
Jake didn’t have a chance to speak before Parker gestured them over with a sharp gesture, rolling his chair towards a projection-screen in the office. “Thank you, colonel.” He nodded to Quaritch before addressing them. “Now you two - I’m gonna show you something, and you’re gonna explain what it is.” And while he spoke to the both of them, his cool brown eyes met Jake’s, and Jake scowled as a small measure dread began to build in his stomach. The way he moved, his curt movements and brusque demeanor - he was a businessman, and businessmen were far more complicated than military assholes. Both were like shit caked into the cracks of the street on which society operated, but at least you knew what to expect from military assholes. Businessmen on the other hand played by no rules known to man.

Parker turned on the video clip Jake had known was coming, and they all watched in silence as his Avatar was caught on camera brutalizing the RDA equipment in defense of the Tree of Voices.  
Quaritch spoke first. “You let me down, son. Got caught up in your dress-up games and forgot which side you were shooting for? Thought you showed potential, and you proved me wrong.” Quaritch paused for a moment, his expression dark, before all-but-growling, “I hate being made wrong.”  
Jake opened his mouth, ready to say something which would undoubtedly only serve to further his troubles. Thankfully, Grace interrupted him - though her words weren’t much more help.  
“Parker listen, there may still be time to-”  
Quaritch rounded on Grace in turn.  
_“Shut your fucking hole!”_  
Grace didn’t pause, looking to Quaritch with contempt glittering in her eyes. “Or what, ranger rick, you gonna shoot me too?”  
“I can do that.”  
“You need to muzzle your damn dog, Parker.”  
Parker let out an annoyed breath, raising his hands with obvious irritation. “Can we take it down a couple notches here?”  
Jake scowled at Quaritch, “You say you wanna keep your people alive, that the Omaticaya are a threat, right? If you really want to keep casualties minimal, you’ll listen to her.”  
He nodded towards Grace, who seemed to steel herself.  
“This is bad, Parker, those trees were sacred to the Omiticaya in a way you can’t begin to understand.” Parker let out an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes as Grace spoke.  
“Listen you throw a rock and you’ll hit some sacred bushes - relations with the natives are great, but I need something solid to show our investors; you know, the people who were funding your puppet-project?”  
“This _is_ real, I’m a damn scientist, Parker, this isn’t a pagan magic, it’s something measurable- something real in the biology of the flora and fauna on this planet.”  
“What is it then? If it’s measurable, what exactly is it?”  
Grace faltered, lips pursing as she seemed to struggle to find the words. She turned her eyes towards Jake, and he was struck by how at sea she seemed.  
_It’s all on her right now, and she knows it._ Jake realized as she spoke in a low tone to him. “How do I explain this? How am I supposed to reduce years of study and work into a sentence for the illiterate?”  
Jake hesitated, then suggested: “Pretend you’re talking to me?”  
Grace didn’t smile.  
She sighed, and steeled herself, the turned back to Parker.  
“Listen, we don’t know everything yet-” Parker seemed about to interrupt, but Grace raised her hand in a demand for silence.  
“But what we’ve learned - what we’re starting to learn - is that there’s some form of electrochemical communication between the roots of the trees. Like the synapses between neurons. Each tree has ten to the fourth connections to the trees around it, and there are ten to the twelfth trees on Pandora-”  
“That’s a lot, I’m guessing.”  
Jake made a pinching sign with his fingers, hoping to push Grace to use smaller words and simpler analogies. A glance in his direction told him that she noticed his movement, and Jake hoped she understood his meaning.  
“It’s more connections than the human brain has, Parker. It’s a massive network, and the Na’vi can _access_ it - they can upload and download data - memories - at sites like the one you just destroyed.”  
Parker seemed to consider her words, brows knitting together as he nodded slowly.  
Before he broke into an incredulous laugh. “What the hell have you people been smoking? They’re just goddamn trees!”  
Grace’s eyes hardened, “Did you listen to a goddamn word that I said? The wealth of this world isn’t in the ground, it’s all around us - we’ve never seen anything like this and you’re going to destroy it before we can even understand it for a goddamn rock? The Na’vi are connected to this world, and they were willing to share what they knew with us before we started fucking shooting at them! If we want to share this world with them, we need to understand them - to take the time to really see them.”  
It was at this point that Quaritch stepped back into the conversation, a smug look painted into the many lines of his face.  
“Oh I think we understand them just fine, thanks to Jake here.”  
Jake’s pulse quickened, and the dread in his stomach seemed to twist. He looked to Grace, alarmed. Parker seemed to know what Quaritch was talking about, and he slid through saved clips before selecting one and playing it.  
Jake recognized his face on a logging cam, and found himself growing numb - distant from his own body as he heard his voice clear through the room.  
_“They’re not gonna give up their home - they’re not gonna make a deal. For what? What do we have that they want? Are they gonna trade their home for guns and paper money? Lite beers and shopping channels? I understand now, how they see us - we’re the monsters parents warn their kids about, we’re the fucking horrors from outer-space. Everything we do is straight out of a goddamn scary movie. There isn’t going to be a deal; they’re never gonna leave hometree.”_  
His voice sounded tired, angry, lost. Jake barely remembered recording it, but the words rang true still, and he struggled to pull himself back to the present, hearing Quaritch’s next words as though he were underwater - muddied.  
“Since a deal can’t be made, that makes our options real simple.” He fixed his attention on Jake, voice icy. “I’m getting all emotional, I might just give you a big wet kiss.” Jake swallowed, looking to Grace, hoping that she’d have something- _anything_ to convince Parker. She seemed as lost as he felt, but tried nonetheless.  
“Can we talk about this rationally, Parker? Just for a minute - listen there are _children_ -”  
“I’d love to talk, really, but unfortunately you’re all out on the next shuttle. As of now, the Avatar program is shut down.”  
“You can’t-”  
“It’s done, it’s done. The program’s job was to get relations with the natives to a point where we could come in and get the volitium, since that’s not gonna happen, we’re pulling the plug.” He nodded to one of the guards at the door. “Take them out of here.”  
“Put them somewhere they can’t cause trouble.” Quaritch added, eyes fixed on Jake, untrusting. 

Jake felt the hostile eyes on his back as he was escorted from the room, but he found his mind on the People - on Tsu’tey.  
He had to get back. He _had_ to warn them, give them something - anything to give them a chance. Quaritch wasn’t one to half-ass anything, and if he had it his way, all of them would die.  
It hit him, and he found himself grateful for the stunned state he was in - had he been less muddled, he probably would have done something stupid.  
Hell, the day was young, he probably still would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so! SO! Things are starting to happen! The adventure kicks off, and I'm really excited to show you all where it's heading! I hope you're all as excited as I am - I didn't realize how rewarding sharing my work with like minded people could be, and I'll be honest I'm really really enjoying interacting with you all. So actually, a lot of the writing here is for y'all specifically.  
I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	11. A Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha hey guys! so because nanowrimo's in swing and also I'm working near full-time hours at the moment, chapter release has been slow. chapter WRITING is still going, but I've got a friend of mine helping me out with editing so hopefully the work y'all read will still be of ~ acceptable ~ quality.

Jake sat in the holding cell, grinding his teeth and glaring at the floor. He’d at first urgently tried to talk escape plans through with Norm and Grace a few times, but had been met mostly with silence before Norm spoke.  
“We’re not getting out of here, Jake. It’s over. We’re done.”  
Grace snorted, shaking her head. “They never even wanted us to succeed; they bulldozed a sacred site on purpose to trigger a response to justify this extermination.”  
“That’s how it’s done - when people are sitting on shit you want, you make them your enemy, so then you’re justified in taking it.” Jake spat the words, fury boiling out of him. He scowled, and wheeled from Norm and Grace, settling near the wall to stew and consider ways to fix this instead. Better to focus on something he could change than what was happening at Hometree - to turn his worry into something useful.  
His seething reverie was interrupted by noises coming from outside the cell, and he looked up to see Trudy powering towards him, arguing with the guard stationed there.   
“No, this is bullshit- there’s no legal holding on him here, you can’t just lock him up. I don’t care what the colonel says, that’s not the procedure.”  
“Ma’am, we were given orders to keep him out of trouble-”  
“Did he specifically say to lock them up? No? Then he’s free to go.” She seemed to storm through the room like a force of nature, cowing the soldiers who guarded them with a practiced skill. One of the soldiers fumbled with a key-card, and Trudy took it from him before using it to open the door. “There,” she tossed the key back to him as he stumbled backwards before hurrying out of the room. “Yeah- you run and tell daddy, damn suckup.”  
She turned her attention to Grace, a hard look in her eyes. “Listen, Parker didn’t order you here, right?” Jake nodded, and before he could say anything she continued, speaking quickly. “Good, then you can still talk to him. They’re gonna hit hometree.”  
Grace swore.  
“I knew- fucking- we have to get to him.”  
Jake spoke quickly, not wanting to waste time. He’d known they were going to hit somewhere bad- Quaritch wasn’t the type to pussy-foot around, but _Hometree?_   
“When?”  
“Right now.”  
She glanced behind her, nervous. “I have to go, if I’m gone they’ll suspect shit. You gotta go - you gotta stop them. I can’t be a damn war criminal.”

Grace bolted into the office, followed closely by a guard making vain attempts to stop her while Jake followed behind.  
Quaritch stood in the office, dogging Parker’s heels as the man turned to face them, surprise on the businessman’s face quickly covered by anger.   
“Parker stop - those are people you’re about to-”  
“They’re flea-bitten savages who live in a tree! Look around, Augustine, there are a lot of trees, they can move!”  
“For God’s sake Parker, there are children - babies! Is money worth it?”  
Jake spoke, meeting Parker’s eyes with a stony resolve in his chest. “You don’t want that kind of blood on your hands, trust me. Let me try to talk them out of it - they trust me.”  
He felt something deep in his chest crack; something in his voice break.   
Parker hesitated, then nodded.  
And Jake became a harbinger. A herald to the People of the death that was to come. Another alien to usher in the end of an era.

The link room felt still, tension hanging in the air, shoulders of men and women taut with uncertainty, guns held close, clung to out of fear as a last-ditch sense of security.  
Parker stood near the base of Jake’s link unit, arms folded and expression impatient, condescending as he looked down at Jake. “You have an hour. You want your friends out of there, you get them to evacuate now or they’ll go down with the damn tree.”   
Jake clenched his jaw and nodded curtly before pulling himself into the soft rubbery bed of the unit. He glanced towards Grace’s unit, and as the lid closed over him, plunging him into darkness, he waited for the link to take him home..

Jake’s eyes flew open, light filling his vision. As it cleared, he found himself in a crook of bark off the side of the main clearing. He heard Eytukan speaking, but couldn’t find him through the crowd. He tried to stand but stumbled - and was caught. He glanced to the side, startled to find Neytiri at his left. “Oh thank God, Neytiri I need to tell - I have to...” He stopped, dazed and dizzy. There wasn’t enough time - he had to act now, had to get them out now - “I need to talk to them. I have to warn you-”  
Neytiri nodded, her wide yellow eyes meeting his, her antennae twitching. He saw her, and felt his worries ease - if only a little. She had taught him, this _would_ work.  
“You will talk.”

They walked into the center of the gathering, ignoring the perturbed looks shot their way. Jake approached Eytukan, lowering his eyes and head in a differential nod. He looked back up, his breath catching as he saw Tsu’tey at Eytukan’s side, eyes narrowed mistrustfully. A part of Jake was disappointed, maybe hurt - he’d felt he’d made solid progress with his and Tsu’tey’s friendship. But another part of Jake found he couldn’t blame the warrior for his mistrust- it was, after all, well placed.  
“Eytukan, I have to speak”  
He spoke in Na’vi, the words tumbling out of his mouth clumsily.   
“Speak then, Jakesully.”  
The world seemed to slow down around Jake, his breaths quickening like a rhythm of fear.  
“There’s a darkness coming, and we can’t stop it- I tried. The Sky people are gonna come, and they’re not gonna hold back anymore. They’ve decided that they can take what they want, and they don’t care who they have to mow through to get it.”  
He tried to keep his eyes trained on Eytukan, forcing himself to look at her and not the people- to keep his eyes from his friends; his companions. To escape the questions their eyes begged. He looked to Neytiri, seeking some form of reassurance, meeting her eyes with pleading in his own. “You have to leave, or you’re gonna die.” He heard Mo’at speak and looked towards her, “Are you certain of this?”  
Neytiri nudged him, expression grim. She spoke just under her breath, “I will translate. Speak.”  
Jake hesitated, then nodded and continued in his home-tongue. “They sent me here- they wanted me to learn your ways, to know you and understand-”  
He faltered, his voice catching in his throat as he saw Tsu’tey’s face harden. He almost laughed, knowing that the warrior would probably try and kill him on the spot after his next words.   
“They wanted me to understand you, to learn your ways so one day I’d give this message and you’d believe it.”  
Neytiri stopped, and Jake looked away. There was a moment of silence, then a cry of rage from Tsu’tey. “You _knew?_”   
The words were spoken in English, and Jake flinched. Neytiri grabbed his arm, then translated his words to Na’vi before yanking on him. “Jake Sully you-”  
He looked at her; looked at Tsu’tey; at the people.  
The excuses died in his throat.   
“I knew this was gonna happen. I tried to stop it- I thought we’d have more time, I-”  
Neytiri released his arm and stepped back, her antenna arched back in a show of fury.   
“I trained you- you were never one of us and I trained you!”   
Mo’at and Eytukan spoke, but Jake couldn’t hear them. Tsu’tey was only a breath away, his teeth gritted and eyes dark. “Why? Why would you do this?”  
Jake swallowed, then met Tsu’tey’s wrathful stare. “At first it was just orders - I was a warrior, like I said. But it changed - I saw you, I - everything changed, the world was in colors again and I couldn’t - it was too late.”  
Tsu’tey spat, his antenna flaring with anger. “You are a liar, just like the rest of your people. Your people were born without roots, and honesty does not grow from the sky.” He stepped back, and Jake was struck by the effortless grace Tsu’tey maintained. Even as fury seemed to roll off him, he moved with confidence- with a certain power.   
“Listen, it changed - I changed - but that’s not what -” He realized he was talking in circles, defending himself when he should be telling them to leave, to-  
“Leave!”  
Neytiri’s voice broke through his muddled thoughts.   
“I trusted you- I spoke for you!” Neytiri hissed, and her eyes shone with a mixture of rage and grief.  
Jake opened his mouth, “Neytiri please I-”  
“You are not one of the people, _you have no voice here!_”   
The venom in her words struck him like bullet spray, and he stood stunned for a moment, unable to process, to respond-  
“Would you fight for us?”  
Jake blinked, looking at Tsu’tey with surprise after the warrior addressed him.   
And his hesitation vanished.  
“Yes.”  
Tsu’tey’s eyes narrowed, he flicked an ear and looked away. “I will be your voice.”   
Surprise flickered to life in his chest, and he felt his breath catch. He turned his attention to Mo’at and Eytukan, who now watched Tsu’tey with interest, who now stepped forward to address the crowd - though looked first to Jake.  
“Jakesully, you are sure that they are coming?”  
Jake nodded, “Yes. I was told to warn -”  
Tsu’tey held up a hand, cutting him off.   
“Then we have little time. Jakesully, you will gather those who cannot fight; shelter them inside Hometree. We will not lose today.”  
“That’s not-”  
Grace cut him off this time, stepping forward and speaking in a clean, albeit accented, Na’vi.  
“There must be another sanctuary, a place where those who aren’t fighting will be wholly safe.”  
Tsu’tey hesitated, but Neytiri spoke before he could find words.   
“The Tree of Souls. But Jake Sully does not belong there; I will guide the People, Tsu’tey.”  
Tsu’tey seemed to consider this, then nodded. He looked to Eytukan first. “I will lead the ikran riders, if this is well. Jakesully will tell us their weaknesses, and...” He hesitated, then spoke firmly. “And he will fight at my back.”  
Eytukan regarded Tsu’tey for a moment, then asked, “And what would you have me do?”   
“You would prepare and lead our warriors.”   
Eytukan nodded slowly, looking over Tsu’tey. He said something quietly, and Tsu’tey seemed to stand a little prouder. He turned his attention to Neytiri, who moved to stand before Mo’at.   
“Mother, I want to protect our home, but I must protect our people. I will bring them to Eywa, and with you, we can protect our most fragile.”  
Mo’at’s eyes seemed to shine. “We will.”  
Eytukan then turned to the clan and spoke clearly, his voice ringing through the clearing. “Ikran riders to Tsu’tey; he will lead you to defend our home from the skies. Warriors who do not fight with Ikran, you will fight alongside me. We will hold our home.” He stepped back, looking to Mo’at who in turn addressed the People.  
“Those who serve the people with words and balms, we will guide the youngest to the safety of Eywa’s boughs. We will take comfort in Her songs and stories, and in one another. We will prepare salves to aid those who return, and ready our hearts to honor those who cannot.”  
Jake watched with a mixture of awe and fascination as the People mobilized with little confusion. They all seemed to know where they would belong - few clamored to put themselves where they wouldn’t fit, and when it happened it was not met with denial, but with acceptance. He felt torn between horror and pride as a mere youth was given a bow. Before he could ask, Grace was at his side. “You’re not going to be able to fight, Jake. They’re going to pull us out - and even if you could fight, you would die.” Jake felt a chill, and looked towards her. “You don’t know that.”  
“Jake look around you! We’ve- _you’ve_ lived with these people for enough time to know they’re not going to retreat. The last warrior will die with an arrow knocked, and you know that.”   
“Not if I tell them how to take the fighters down - they have weaknesses Grace, and they won’t expect-”  
“You really think you have time to explain that? Do you think they’ll listen?”  
“They- Grace, they’re gonna die if we can’t do something!”  
Grace gripped Jake’s forearm, squeezing. “We _did_ do something, look- look to Mo’at, the people with her _will_ be okay. If we had done nothing, they would be dying too.”  
Jake shook her hand off him, shaking his head.   
“That’s not enough.”   
He didn’t wait for her to respond, pushing through the crowd and moving towards Tsu’tey with a determined intention. The man was issuing orders to great effect, his warriors responding quickly.   
“Tsu’tey, I have to-”  
He stopped as Tsu’tey’s eyes turned to him, the gold in them seemed aglow with rage. “I speak for you, but I will not forgive what you have done. You warned us, but did not stop it.”   
Jake clenched his jaw, meeting Tsu’tey’s eyes. “I couldn’t.”  
“You could have told us sooner. The only reason I speak for you is for Eywa. They did not see what I saw, they do not understand that She believes that you will do something important for us.” He spat to the side, scowl fixed firmly on his face. “You are nothing to me, Jake Sully, and if the Clan was not at risk, I would kill you myself.”  
Jake let out a hissing breath, fixing his own eyes on Tsu’tey. “Then you will let me help. I can’t fix this, but I can make it better - I can give you a fighting chance, which is more than you have now.”   
Tsu’tey snorted, contempt written in his features. “You believe too strongly in your people. We will kill them.”  
“No you won’t. It’s not about belief, Tsu’tey- you can’t shoot arrows through metal. But they have weak points. If you focus your fire on a few spots, you might make some damage - hell, you might even take them down.”   
Tsu’tey looked at Jake mistrustfully, his fingers curled around the curve of his bow. “Why do you help us? Why will you fight for us? You betrayed us, and still think you are one of us. Why?”  
Jake met Tsu’tey’s eyes. “Some things are more important than orders - more important than anything else. I don’t need to be a part of a family to know that murdering that family is wrong, get it?”

“Even if yours is the one doing it?”

“Have you heard the saying, ‘blood is thicker than water’?”

“No.”

“That’s ‘cause it’s bullshit. Those people look like me, but they aren’t my people - if they’re my family, I’ve been disowned. Probably worse after they find out about this - but I don’t have to tell you that some things are worth dying for.”

Tsu’tey stared at Jake for a few moments, seeming to consider Jake’s words. Then he nodded. “I believe you. Show me where to strike.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this change in the plot? by the way? was NOT planned. I was ass-deep in my bed, writin like a terrible little man, then tsu'tey pulled this line and I had to stop for the night because i didnt know what to do with it!!!! it felt RIGHT but also it was a HELL of a curveball! anyway, script divergence is in high swing. there'll be some art to go with at some point in the future cos my extremely skilled and lovely friend has been drawing alongside my writing! so you'll get a visual on what we imagine na'vi to be :3c


	12. stirred hearts and bated breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> : )

The deep hum of machinery vibrated in Jake’s bones. He had tried to keep Grace from Tsu’tey - to keep her from pointing out that as soon as it was found out they’d gone rogue, they’d be pulled, leaving their limp husks of bodies to fall from whatever task they’d been at, and leave them wholly at the mercy of chance.  
But it’s a damn sight easier to wring blood from stone than it is to keep Grace from putting a stop to piss-poor ideas.  
And naturally, Tsu’tey had listened to Grace - much to Jake’s dismay. He felt useless - tucked away like a child too ill to fight. He had seen the way Tsu’tey’s jaw had tightened, suspicious at the convenient reasoning that would keep Jake from the field of battle. He hadn’t argued, but Jake felt sure that Tsu’tey’s regard of him had dropped no small measure.  
Now he sat near his ikran (lovingly christened “Polly”), Grace at his side as they watched with trepidation. The gunships approached, a small squad headed by Colonel Quaritch’s vehicle. The shining light of day felt too sharp, too bold - it made Jake nervous.  
Of course, at this moment there were a lot of things making Jake nervous. He felt stuck, trapped by the knowledge that the moment his hour was up, he would be pulled back into his other body. His human body.  
And he felt he had failed.  
Eywa had shown him something - a taste of this, he was sure. And he had failed Her. He had told Tsu’tey where to strike, but that wouldn’t be enough. It was possible that they would delay Hometree’s destruction, but the technology the RDA had at their disposal was overwhelming - it would be the end of Hometree. 

***

Trudy Chacon looked one more time over her shoulder towards the two closed link modules. A faint flicker of hope still stirred in her chest, but she silenced it. No time to wonder what things would be like if she’d landed on the other side of all this.  
No time at all.  
She stepped out of the room, and towards her #16 Samson aircraft. Lyle was already there.

_Of course he is. Damn bastard can’t wait to get into the action. Likes shooting more than thinking; good to stick to your strengths I guess._  
“You look about ready to blow, Lyle.”  
Lyle grinned wolfishly back at her, patting the door-gun affectionately. “You know I am, Trude. Big job like this? Hard not to be excited. ‘Lotta smoke and gunfire in our future I think.”  
“You think?” Trudy snorted. “That’s a first.” Lyle let out a bark of laughter, and she climbed into the pilot’s seat of her sweet-sixteen Samson, and switched on communications. 

***  
Tsu’tey te Rongloa Ateyitan flew through his warriors atop his Ikran, Taita, moving with the slow pace they knew must be. He looked at the warriors before him, the friends who were prepared to lay down their lives for their home.  
_But I don’t have to tell you that some things are worth dying for._  
The liar had spoken a truth. Funny that it still rattled in his head like a cry he could not escape.  
He guided Taita to a bough in full-sight of his warriors. _So few, we will need to be clever. That damn human’s information had best be true._  
“My brothers, my sisters, my _warriors!_”  
Taita flared her wings for emphasis as his voice rang through the foliage. 

***  
“This is Samson 16, cleared for takeoff. Over.”  
Trudy gritted her teeth. This whole damn operation - everything about Pandora - had left a bad taste in her mouth. But this was an entirely different level, this was...  
_“Copy that Samson 16, waiting on 04. Over.”_  
This was far beyond distasteful - no, this was sickening.  
“It’s comin’ Trude, you’re gonna get us some front row seats now, right?” Lyle’s overeagerness was about to get him smacked.  
“We’ll see.”

***

“They are coming.” Tsu’tey spoke loudly, a weight to his voice. “They are coming to destroy our home. To kill our families. To end everything our clan means.” A few of his warriors shifted, gripping their bows firmly.  
“They will try to destroy us. They think we are prey; but the sky people do not respect their prey! They think us helpless, foolish, an easy game.” A clamor began, rustling like so many leaves.  
“They believe that we have fled. That we will lay down and die, or struggle like infants.” His voice was scathing. His warriors steeds seemed to bristle, showing with vibrant colors and fluttering fins what the thoughts of their companions were.  
“So when they die to us,” he paused as a few warriors whooped. “When they die to us...we are telling them that they are not only wrong, but that their mistake will cost them everything.”

***

_”All units lift off, we’re gonna knock some heads ladies.”[/i]  
Colonel Quaritch’s voice sounded in her ear, and she kicked Samson 16 into gear, lifting into the air as Lyle whooped behind her.  
“You make that sound again and I’ll dump your ass to the ground, Lyle.”  
Wind roared in her ears, a comforting familiarity in this storm of nerves._

_ ***_

_Tsu’tey’s warriors waited, eyes on him as Taita reared dramatically.  
“And they will not have the chance to right it, my brothers. Dead men cannot learn.”  
He let out a warcry, and Taita slipped from her roost and into an elegant dive. He thrust his bow into the air, crying out with passion, and his People joined him._

_ ***  
The radio was mostly silent as they flew. Lyle made a few attempts at conversation, but seemed to realize that Trudy had minimal interest in engaging his bloodlust.  
So they flew in silence._

_ ***_

_Tsu’tey’s heart hammered, echoed by Taita’s heart and mirrored in their breathing. He could hear the thrum of human machinery; could see the shadows of death silhouetted in the far sky._

_ ***_

_Trudy watched as Hometree came into view. She threw her head back and took a breath, squaring her shoulders and steeling her nerves. This was it. The tree loomed in the distance._

_ ***  
Taita clung to the underside of a large branch, and Tsu’tey hung under, clinging to her back with practiced expertise._

_ ***_

__”So the soldier sweet-talked them out? Here I thought we were gonna get some action.”_  
Quaritch’s voice._

_ ***_

_A hand held out, a silent call to wait for just a moment longer-_

_ ***  
_”Alright boys, positions!”__

_ ***_

_“Fly!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahaha hey yall. suppose i owe you some explanation, huh? 
> 
> i mean mostly it's a lot of excuses and executive dysfunction paired with adhd and anxiety, but i digress.
> 
> anyway, good news is there's actually like. 50k words more of this bullshit lol.  
bad news is I Hate It and will need to revise Every Chapter And Then Some dSGFDSgfds
> 
> i was waitin on my friend to get the drawing done at first cos i've seen the sketch and oml it looks so good yall - BUT it got lost in the void of creative process and so here we are. no drawings but a small handful of words!  
buuuuut words are better than shit, right?  
..right???
> 
> haha anyway, imma try and get revising / working on this again. my laptop brooooooke so i dont have an epic and swag very good for writing keyboard anymore. which makes this process less fun and good. BUT i am still excited to share what i've got -- and more importantly to make what i already have Less Bad lol
> 
> the next few chapters i think need minimal revision, but after that it's a hot clown show 'cos i realized i wasn't able to write both quality and speed n i needed to be doing like, 2000 words a day lmao. so hopefully i'll be able to get this one and a few others out before it slows down a whole load. cos. i made it weird yall. i made it weird : (
> 
> anyway, happy belated yule, and new year.
> 
> OH. ALSO. PRIME REASON I UPDATED? cos i kept getting sweet comments....yall are very kind n i know i didnt keep up with answering n engaging, but thats cos i felt bad that i hadnt updated.  
anyway, if u commented, understand that actually ur a pretty large reason as to why there IS still effort being put into actually publishing this here instead of leaving it on a google doc for my friend and i to peruse and be excited abt.


	13. Break-away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c

The air was a tempest of blood and gunpowder, and Jake knew he’d only see a moment of it before he was pulled, only a moment-   
The cries of Ikran filled the air, mingling alongside popping noises as ship propellers were shot at. Jake’s tail lashed back and forth, expression dark. “I should be helping them, I can’t-”   
“That’s right, you can’t. You go out there, marine, you’ll die.”   
Jake scowled, “I could-”  
And in an instant, like a wire cut, his link was severed.

Jake awoke in a daze, vision foggy and body responding poorly. He found himself jostled, then picked up. He struggled as well as he could, angry for the manhandling he now received. But he was hardly functioning, the jolt of being forcibly unlinked keeping him from being struggling -- keeping him from thinking. 

He slowly regained awareness, the sound of Grace shouting insults a soft thrumming audio behind the ringing in his ears. He couldn’t make out the words.

Jake Sully became aware he was, again as before, in a cell. He was in his wheelchair again, positioned in the center of the room. His companions sat in silence, Norm having been locked up too - though for what reason Jake couldn’t fathom.   
“What happened?” Jake heard himself ask, unfocused still.   
“They got Hometree,” Norm answered. “Grace says you got them to fight?”   
Jake would have laughed, had the circumstances been lighter. Instead, dread sunk into his core. Hometree was gone.  
Numbly, he spoke. “No, they were gonna fight no matter what I did. I just told them where to hit.”   
“Yeah well, the military didn’t expect that. Whatever you told them to do worked - they got Hometree, but I don’t think they stuck around. I didn’t hear a lot - only some gossip while we were brought here.”   
Jake ground his teeth. “So we don’t really know anything.”   
No one had an answer for him, and the room fell into a thick and heavy silence once again.   
Time passed, but Jake couldn’t be sure how much. It felt pointless - he was trapped, useless as a puppet with its strings cut. He should be out there, helping the people he had betrayed - atoning for what he had done, and proving that he was - that he could still be - a member of the clan.   
He should be there, helping recover the injured as the fumes from wrecked machines filled his nostrils. He should have been there to hear the cries of his fellow men as they rode to battle, ready to die for that which they loved. Ready to die for what they believed in.   
_Better men than most trigger-happy bastards here._  
He closed his eyes, his heartbeat hammering in his ears.   
_Thump thump_  
They had faught.  
_Thump thump_  
They had died.  
_Thump thump_   
Tsu’tey - was he alive?   
_Thump thump_  
Had he died too?  
_Thump thump_  
He lead the Ikran riders,  
_Thump thump_  
Wings beating,  
_Thump thump_  
Rider of Last Shadow...  
_Thump thump_  
Why had Eywa shown him that?  
_Thump thump_  
Had he failed?  
_Thump thump_  
Had Tsu’tey died?  
_Thump thump_  
Died because Jake hadn’t figured out what the hell Eywa had been on about?  
_Thump thump_  
Like wingbeats.  
_Thump thump_   
Wingbeats.  
_Thump thump_  
He had to get back to them.  
_Thump thump_  
Had to know.

“Can’t believe these treehuggers get steak.”   
Trudy’s voice seemed to echo from far away, breaking him from his reverie.  
“Steak? That’s bullshit, let me see -”  
He barely had time to see Trudy draw a gun.   
“Yeah you know what that is, cabrón, stand up real slow now.”   
Jake watched, tension balling his hands into fists as Trudy forced the guard to his feet, then clocked him with the butt of the gun.   
He went down.  
Trudy snorted and shoved him with her foot, disdain and satisfaction written in her expression. In a single fluid motion she reholstered her gun and looked up, whistling sharply before calling.. “Max, get your ass in here! We gotta move quick, need to get outta here before they wanna see why the cameras aren’t working.”  
Dr. Max Patel hurried into the room, pulling a keycard out of his pocket while Trudy fit a zip-tie around the fallen guard’s wrists and tightened it.  
The door to the prison-door slid open, and without hesitation, Grace, Norm, and Jake all evacuated the cell. “You’re a damn good bail, Trudy. Don’t know what we did to get you in with us, but damn I’m glad we did.”  
Trudy shot a grin at him. “I think being the only gun-toting dumbass with morals was a good start.” She stood, and gestured for them to follow her. “I got our ride, we need to get out of here ASAP.”  
“What’s going on?”   
“A daring escape? A revolution? I dunno, take your pick.”   
“No - what happened at Hometree?”  
Trudy was quiet for a moment, her footsteps echoing - filling the otherwise silent air with rhythmic steps. Jake knew what she was going to say before she said it -- he knew what had happened, he just needed-  
“Hometree fell.”  
Confirmation.  
“They fought back hard, took down a couple choppers - might have gotten me if I had stuck around.”  
“You were with Quaritch?”  
“Only briefly - Lyle’s pissed off ‘cause he didn’t get a chance to shoot anyone. Personally? I think you’re on the right side of things, so I’m not stickin’ with the RDA. Guess you probably caught onto that.”   
“I mean, knocking out our guard and breaking us out of prison was a pretty good hint.”  
They were nearing the courtyard now, and Grace broke into the conversation. “Max, we’re going to need you to stay behind - we need an ear on the ground here.”  
“What are you planning?”  
Jake answered for them. “Something reckless.”  
Grace seemed to disagree.  
“_He’s_ planning something reckless. I don’t know if anyone else has a plan, but whatever we end up on will probably be a damn-sight better than what dumbass here has in mind.”   
Norm played the peacemaker.   
“Whatever we end up doing, we’ll need you here. If you split off now you can pretend you don’t know anything about this, okay?”  
Max nodded, and veered off down another hall while Trudy paused to toss oxygen masks at the remaining group. “Alright, let’s get gone quickly. Soon as she starts up they’ll be hot on us, so we’ll need to move fast.” Jake fastened his mask to his head, securing it and enabling the airflow with a click.  
“Got it.”  
Grace, Norm, and Trudy fastened their own masks. Trudy hesitated, then spoke in a soft voice. “I don’t know how many casualties to the natives there were, all I know is Quaritch ordered us to pull out after Hometree fell. We lost Fourteen and Three, and I think Quaritch’s was hit, but I don’t know for sure - I told you, I got out of there pretty fast.”  
Jake clenched his jaw, fear of the worst curling in his stomach.  
“Why’d you change your mind? Why leave at the last second?”  
His tone was clipped as he tried to speak through the dread that lingered inside of him. Trudy pursed her lips. “Had some second thoughts from the get-go, but seeing the tree in person kinda drove it home how big a deal this was. That isn’t something you just replace.”  
Jake looked past her, unable to meet her eyes. “It’s gonna have to be now.”  
Trudy stood silent for a moment, then seemed to gather herself. She opened the doors.  
The air of Pandora flooded into the room, as did the chill of night. They moved quickly, Jake far too aware of the time limit now upon them. They would be found out soon, and Quaritch didn’t abide by any failure on his part.   
They moved as a unit, Trudy entering the Samson with a deft grace while Norm and Grace both heaved themselves in before moving to help Jake.   
Trudy started the engine.   
An alarm began to sound.   
Grace’s grip as she helped to lift him felt bruising, but he kept from wincing, and didn’t tell her to let him do it himself. They didn’t have the time.  
The alarm paired with the thunder of the Samson made it hard to think.  
Norm lifted Jake’s wheelchair in behind them.  
A door slid open. Colonel Miles Quaritch stepped outside, bare-faced and furious.   
The chopper began to rise.   
Gunshots rang out as Quaritch opened fire, and over the noise Trudy cursed.  
The night around them seemed to howl as they gained height, the thunderous sound only rivaled by the echoing gunshots, force striking the Samson as it was hit. With a precise motion, “Nice and easy, can’t do much from down there, can you?”   
Jake felt the chopper jerk as Trudy banked, the wind hammering his face. His heart was racing, and he let out a whoop. “We got it!”  
Beside him he heard Grace groan. “Shit, this is gonna ruin my whole day, isn’t it?”   
His exultation evaporated as he turned his attention to Grace. She held a bloodied, shaking hand over her abdomen, a smear of crimson bleeding into her white coat.   
The smell of blood filled the air, and Grace began to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3c
> 
> as always, thanks for the comments! i haven't been as on-top of replying to them, but know that i DO read & appreciate all of them like the attention-seeking fool I am <3
> 
> I'll try to make the wait between this chapter and the next less bad. This chapter's pretty close to canon, but we're nearing true divergence here : )


	14. Eyes among Eywa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol hi it's been a little while

“Hang in there Grace, we’re gonna get you patched up. Norm! Where the hell’s the aid kit?”  
“It’s right here!”   
Panic edged into both their voices, and Norm thrust the first-aid kit towards Jake, who only growled, “_You_ need to get the stuff, I need to keep pressure here. Is there a clotting sponge in there?”  
“I -- I don’t know, what’s it look like?”  
“A sponge! I don’t know! Look!”   
There was a moment of relative quiet, the thrum of helicopter motion all they could hear. Then.  
“No.”  
_Shit._  
“There’s-- uh, there’s tape, gauze, ban-bandages- I don’t know what-”   
“There’s a sedative under the middle seat, that’ll slow her heart, might help with bleeding.” Trudy called back to them.  
“How heavy?”  
“Medical use.”  
Jake looked to Norm, who moved quickly. He pulled a small plastic case from under the seat and opened it, taking the syringe in a shaking hand and preparing the dose.   
“How many units?”  
Trudy answered.  
“Two for heavy bleeding.”  
Norm took a moment, then injected the sedative into Grace’s upper arm.   
“Ow.”   
Her voice was flat, somehow sounding more annoyed than in pain. “You’re gonna be great, just hang tight.” Jake spoke quickly, trying to sound more confident than he felt and being rewarded with an equally flat glare.   
Jake felt her blood cooling on his hands as he maintained pressure on her wound, and he only took a moment to make his next order. “The bandages, and gauze, I’m gonna wrap it tight. Bandage first.”  
Norm obliged, taking a moment to relocate the self-adhesive bandages before handing them to Jake. With swift movements, Jake pulled Grace’s shirt up, using his own clothing to blot as much blood as he could from the two small bullet-holes in her stomach. He felt his own insides knot up; the hits were bad, and as much as Jake could lie to Grace, he’d seen too much combat to be able to lie to himself.   
He applied the bandage quickly, pushing on the wound as Grace hissed in pain. Silently, Norm offered the gauze to Jake, who wrapped it firmly around her abdomen twice. He turned to Norm and instructed, “Keep pressure on it,”  
“Isn’t that what the gauze is for?”  
“Just - just do it.” He pulled himself towards Trudy, looking out over Pandora’s dimly lit landscape.   
“Where are we going? We need to get to the Tree of Souls but-”  
“We’re gonna stop at the Hallelujah Mountains site, get the mobile units. We can pick up more supplies there, then take it down to your people.”  
“She’s _dying,_ Trudy.”  
“And they aren’t gonna be able to help her any more than we can.”   
“You don’t know that-”  
“Jake.”  
“She’s-”  
He stopped himself, balling his fists.  
Again he was helpless.  
Again he was useless.  
Again, the world moved forward in spite of it.

Time seemed to crawl by, Grace’s silence unnerving Jake. They reached the mobile unit shortly, and Norm had to do the brunt of the work. He used his Avatar, which had been parked nearby. Jake stayed by Grace’s side, hand on her wound, shock numbing his own senses. There had to be something- _anything_ that they could do. Without proper medical attention, Grace would die.   
He heard Norm clattering around at the top of the mobile unit, and cursed himself for having left his own Avatar so far from here before he looked to Grace again.   
He didn’t know a lot about the science behind the Avatar link, but a part of him wondered if there was no way to permanently place Grace’s mind in her Avatar - a way to preserve her in her working body, that she wouldn’t have to be cast aside when this one failed. He would have to ask Norm.   
And he did. As soon as the man’s taller Avatar clambered into his seat, Jake turned to him. “Listen, I’ve been thinking - there has to be a way to put Grace in her Avatar, right? If her body died while she wasn’t in it, she’d just stay in her Avatar, wouldn’t she?”   
Norm answered quickly with a shake of his head. “No, it’s like - we’re casting out from our bodies. We’re still attached to our original body, we’re wired through our own body and into our Avatar’s. We aren’t separate from our body, it’s controlling everything remotely - our head isn’t actually in the Avatar, we’re linked. There’s no way to switch the central control from one brain to the other, because we’re not set up to be able to do that. That kind of technology is still decades away.”  
Jake cursed, and swallowed. “There has to be some way-” His voice grew quiet, “Norm, she’s dying. We need something or she’s not gonna make it.”  
Norm pursed his lips, shaking his head. “I - we have to think of something else, because that _isn’t possible._”

The silence that followed was grim and cold.

By the time the Samson #16 alighted on the ground nearly 15 miles east of the Tree of Souls, Grace’s breathing seemed to have evened out, giving Jake some semblance of hope. With no small measure of relief -- finally feeling able to do something -- he hooked himself into his unit, and shut his eyes.  
_I can help her - I can help all of them from the other side._

As he faded into the link - into a world between worlds - he felt himself _catch;_ felt something stop him from continuing further. He didn’t awaken; he didn’t stand. He simply was.  
And without warning, his being was caught in a net of a thousand burning gold eyes. Watching him with an unyielding intent- unwilling to bend.   
Alien.  
He was drowning; couldn’t breath- did he need to breath? Couldn’t see- but he was seen.   
The world was inside of him, and he couldn’t breath.   
The eyes watched him, and he couldn’t see.  
_”Do you know them? Can you save them?”_  
It was not one voice but many, buzzing in tandem as the sound seemed to crawl from inside Jake’s head.   
A heartbeat.  
A wingbeat.   
And he was thrust into his avatar again.

The smell of smoke hit him like a train, stinging his nose and burning in his eyes. The land was shadowed, Polyphemus’ light dimmed by the thick black smog that hung in the air. Jake’s heart stilled as he cast his eyes towards the heart of it.  
The great tree had fallen, broken in a battle spawned by the greed of colonizers and capitalists; life and livelihood torn asunder by selfish cruelty.   
The body of the tree had crushed countless, entombing them in a crypt of their people’s home and history, ages upon ages of growth now serving as a grave to those who had lived among them.

Jake pushed to his feet, burning eyes wide as he took in all that was to see. The world around him was quiet; devoid of the sounds life sang. He let out a hoarse call, an attempt to bring his ikran to him, to see if he still lived.   
The smell of burnt flesh and foliage stung in his nose, but he heard it- the thumping of wings on the wind.  
Polly landed in front of him, skittish, nervous, but placing his trust in Jake.   
“Thank -” He let out a shuddering, shaky laugh as he placed a palm on the ikran’s shoulder. “We gotta go, thank you for...” He swallowed, again almost laughing, eyes wide - almost stunned. “Thanks for not dying, bud.” And they linked.  
The sensation had once been so alien to him - rightfully so. But it had become natural. And in this, not being linked with another creature seemed strange at times - like viewing the world with shades on. Now he felt Polly, breathed with him, saw the world through his eyes, tasted the smoke - felt the acrid aftertaste of flesh fill Polly’s senses. But the world did not slow for them, and there were many things yet to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember how i promised to update quickly??? then didnt??? it's cos im bad.  
anyway, here's another part, albeit shorter. we're slowly digging into the portions where i just starting Going without care for how it looked or read or engaged the senses, so it's requiring more working.   
also, def some bits that im not happy with character wise, esp after watching the movie again. but imma chock that right up to "hell yea i do what i want" and put a stamp on that then mail it out cos im vibin here
> 
> anyway, we'll see if i can get another chapter out shortly here! work's been busy cos one of our employees got another job, so it's been. busy. 
> 
> cheers yall


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